John Freemuth

John Freemuth died at age 69 on May 2, 2020. He was Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Executive Director of the Andrus Center for Public Policy. His primary interest was public lands of the United States.

Freemuth chaired the Science Advisory Board of the Bureau of Land Management, after being appointed by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. He was principal investigator on a grant from the United States Geological Survey working on improving the policy utility of GAP Analysis, and with the Andrus Center was working on a grant from the Bureau of Land Management on policy issues surrounding BLM in Idaho. He had been a high school teacher, and seasonal park ranger. While a ranger, at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area he wrote “Wanderer for Beauty: Everett Ruess in the Glen Canyon Area”, a park interpretive handout and was glad Everett had yet to be found.

Freemuth earned a BA from Pomona College and a Ph.D. from Colorado State University. He was also named the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching /CAES of Professor of the Year for Idaho for 2001.